The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-05-05
PLAIN TRUTHS ABOUT LABOR
4 Forcible Statement Of the Facts Con-
nected with the Modern Problem.
A Pressing Demand for Squires of Work
There Is No COmpulSion in This Country
Except That Exercised by the Knights.


Edward Atkinson Before the Boston Central Labor
Mr. Atkinson was plain spoken and appealed
to the common sense of his hearers by the force
of unans werab!e argument, urging them to lay
aside passion and consider calmly the economic
facts presented by the struggle between capital
and labor. He announced at the beginning
that he was not a knight of Labor, but Squire
of Work, ''and if l am not wrong" he said, 1.-THE
squires will get ahead of the Knights in the
long run" Then he boldly grappled with the
question Of wages and hours of work, and
showed that capitalists buy the WORK of their en-
ployes for what 1t is worth to them. If the
workmen are not satisfied they say good
bye to him, as he can TO them: they can do better
than that-they can save something and become
employers themselves IAN this talk about wage
slavery is nonsense" said Mr. Atkinson. There
is no slave labor no compusion in this country
now, unless it is the compulsion of the knights
of Labor. and that IS pretty much played out
already"
The speaker showed the fallacy of the George
theory about taxing land and exemptng all
other kinds of property. You may put ali the
taxes on land" he said. but you can't make
them stay there Nobody will buy or hire, or
occupy that land to build houses shops
less they can charge the taxes to the tenant or
occupant or put the taxes into the price of the
goods that are made in the factory sold in the
shop. If they couldn't collect the taxes put
upon them, then they wouldn't get any profit
their capital invested in the houses or buildings:
and If there is profit to be had in building
houses, or shops works or factories, who but
fool would build theml Would you2 If you
choose to vote for men who will shorten the
time of city laborers to eight hours a day you
have perfect right to do so, because you will
pay most of the bill. The consumers, most of
whom are working people, pay all the taxes at
the last end. no matter where they are first put"
Mr.. Atkinson gave what he called spectrum
analysis" of a piece of cotton cloth, which con
sisted in showing on large chart. by means of
colored squares each part of the cost of the
cloth, so that the exact proportion was made
very clear. BY means of this he showed that
a capital of ST. 100. 900 absorbed il the manu-
facture of cotton cloth the operatives paid
for the work 500 900. the profit was but $145,-
600. and the rest. $4,000. eaten up in taxes.
You may not like the statement" said the
speaker. You may feel like using some swear
words about me. Well, that won't hurt me, and
if it does you any good / hope you will swear;
but you don't damn the facts; if they are the
facts it won't alter them if You do If they
not the facts, if have not told you the truth,
then 60 ahead and find out the truth in your
way. That is what you can do in these oreanIz-
atoms, clubs, knights of Labor, eight hour as
sociations and the more you study the more you
will find out that the capitalist is your friend,
and not your enemy. If you treat him right he
will treat you right"
Mr. Atkinson continued
The way to shorten your time and work less
hours is to Go mora while you do work, and l
don't know of any other way. Some of you
trying to rule the workmen. You are trying to
tell men how they shall work. when they shall
work, where they shall work, and how long they
submit Is that fair playl Now you won't like
IT when tell you right here that the 'scab' is
the man who will out ahead and you will
get left. But don't mistake 1 wholly
prove of the organization of labor / don't care
what you cali It, whether trades union, Knights
of Labor, or by any other name; all that claim
is that You mind your own business. What Is
needed is a club of 'scabs.' that is. liberty
club, mind your own business club. If you have
Knights of Labor, why not have squires of worka
believe in q squire more than do in knight
The sQuires have been licking the knights for
the last 300 years, getting top and by and by
they will bury them. We have done with kings
with princes, with dukes. ard other privileged
classes; now what business have the knights of
to-day to take up the privileges which the squires
took away from the old knights long ago? What
were these privileges that the princes the dukes
and the knights used to claim in old times? Just
what the knights of Labor claim now, the right
to tell you me what shall do with time
and our brains, and how we shall use our hands
That won't work. The squires won't have it
There more squires than there are knights,
only they don't know it yet Then | say, let the
squires organize, support each other, and help
each other to find out what their work Is really
worth. They don't want any master workman;
they don't want any masters of any kind to
der them around. They want corporals and
sergeants. men of their own kind non commits
stoned officers to keep them in line and to keep
them all up to the best mark. When you organ
ze such a club as this every member will get
his kind; each one will be a man who knows how
TO make his own bargains and manage his own
affairs. There will always be work for him at
the highest prices, because he will be the who
will make goods at the highest wages and at the
lowest cost. That's the kind of man that every
employer wants to find. don't care whether
the times are hard easy, good or bad, that
kind of always gets work and always gets
the best pay that the prices of the goods which
he makes will permit the employer to pay.
at is great blunder to say that while the
richer
poorer; it is only the poor who can't work well
or who won't work well. who grow Door while
the rich are growing rich In this country. The
best times for the manufacturer are the times
when he makes the most money. and they are
always when the wages highest and not
when they are the lowest, because wage learners
are their principal and most important custom
ers- Therefore, l tell you, organize, organize.
organize; but organize the squires of work; call
In all the 'scabs' to join, and don't refuse any
man who works tor living either with his
hands his head, with his own capital,
or his own tools, his own brains if
he is an honest and a true man. I tell
you here and now that by the acts of the Legis-
lature which you have tried for. and of
which have been passed, and by way of bylaws
of your Knights of Labor, your clubs and your
associations, which you have tried to force peo-
pie to adopt. you are driving capital out of the
State of Massachusetts. Up to this time the
true men of this country, the free of this
country, the scabs of this country have managed
their own affairs fairly well, without much re-
gard to your meddlesome acts the result of that
has been that the men of special skill, who are
at the head of their trades, 100 per cent bet
ter off to-day than they were twenty years ago
and more That is. they buy twice
as much food. fuel. clothing and as good
a shelter to-day for a years wages
as they could buy twenty years ago with what
they then earned. The average carpenter, ma
son. painter or other mechanic who minds his
own business and keeps the control of his own
time buy nearly twice much. but not
quite. The average factory operative can buy
'wo-thirds more than be or she could buy twenty
years ago with years wages, and the common
aborer can buy 80 per cent. But this
lime to prove to you what 1 say tonight. but If
you will go MP to the State-house and ask the
Treasurer you get the facts and you can
ind out for yourselves that you are driving cap
men are left more free than they now are here
olnanage their own affairs"
The Coke Workers Cease Work.